Third wave of digitization: the browser is the missing link in corporate cybersecurity
By: Juan Andrés Oliva, co-founder of dME Network
I recently heard a manager say that his company was "armored" because they migrated their servers to the cloud and replaced all local software with SaaS applications. That conviction overlooks one detail: today, 100% of the work - and human errors - goes through the browser.
The firewall stopped guarding the border; the entrance door is in the tab that each collaborator opens.
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The digital transformation has gone through three major waves. The first moved physical infrastructure to the cloud; the second moved desktop applications to the web. The third, the one we are experiencing now, requires governing the browser, because it controls the sites that are visited, what extensions are installed, and how much sensitive information leaves the company.
The risk is not hypothetical. 82% of the incidents reported in 2024 in Chile originated from phishing and inadvertent downloads u2014failures of simple opportunity, not of high sophisticationu2014, but each operational arrest cost an average of 19 working hours.
For directories, the impact is no longer just reputational: the new Data Protection Law holds its members jointly responsible, with fines scaling up to 20,000 UTM and even criminal penalties.
The good news is that protecting the browser adds more security. It allows measuring browsing times, blocking distractions, and sending contextual alerts that lead to greater efficiency. Investing in browser hardening is no longer a defensive expense, it is a lever for productivity and regulatory compliance.
The directories that understand this third wave will gain a double advantage: they will reduce the attack surface and free up capacity for innovation. Those who ignore it will sooner or later pay the cost of a wrong click. The time to decide is now, before the first major fine arrives or the next "urgent" email that paralyzes the operation.